ANAHEIM, Calif. — José Ramírez delivered a spectacular performance by smashing three home runs, propelling the Cleveland Guardians to a win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday night. This remarkable feat helped the Guardians end their three-game losing streak and etched Ramírez’s name further into Cleveland’s baseball history.
Ramírez demonstrated his prowess with a solo homer in the opening inning, followed by a critical two-run homer in the fifth, and capped off the night with another solo blast in the ninth inning, contributing to the team’s 8-6 victory. This triumph marked Ramírez’s 26th multi-homer game, placing him alongside legendary figures Albert Belle and Jim Thome for the most multi-homer games in the franchise’s storied history that dates back to 1901. Furthermore, this was only the second time Ramírez had struck three homers in a single game during his career, which has been dedicated entirely to the Cleveland team.
Reflecting on the achievement, Ramírez expressed gratitude through an interpreter, acknowledging the rarity of such a performance. “I appreciate these types of days,” he commented. “Sometimes it’s hard to hit one, and then when you hit three, you just thank God for these types of games, and most importantly because we won.”
Ramírez launched two of his homers against Angels starter José Soriano, both on similar low breaking balls that ended their journey over the right-field fence. His final homer came from a high fastball thrown by rookie Caden Dana, providing an extra cushion that proved vital in withstanding the Angels’ late two-run resurgence in the ninth.
Ramírez previously showcased his homer-hitting capability on June 8, 2023, against Boston, marking another three-homer performance. Now with 259 career homers, Ramírez stands second in Cleveland’s all-time leaderboard, trailing only Jim Thome’s 337.
His manager and peers marveled at this standout display from a player who often flies under the radar. Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt called Ramírez the “Best player in the world” and lauded his ability to uplift the team with his offensive firepower, especially when the team required it the most.
This remarkable showing came just six days after Ramírez injured his right wrist sliding in Kansas City, an incident which caused him to miss a game and left him with a significant piece of skin missing from his hand.
The Guardians anticipate such performances from Ramírez, a six-time All-Star who made the All-MLB first team in the prior season, notably leading Cleveland to an impressive 92 victories, an AL Central title, and an AL Championship Series berth. Leading in home runs, RBIs, and stolen bases last year, he narrowly missed the 40-40 club, though this year he’s yet to swipe a base in the current season while ambitiously aiming for 40 homers.
Ramírez’s gameplay was not perfect; he committed his third error in three games when he misplayed Luis Rengifo’s slow grounder in the third inning, leading to Jo Adell’s crucial two-run single for the Angels.
Vogt shrugged off Ramírez’s defensive lapse as an outlier in an otherwise sterling defensive reputation, emphasizing continued defensive improvement efforts. Vogt also trusted that Ramírez’s subsequent at-bats would compensate for the defensive mishap.
“The top players tend to make up right away for their rare mistakes,” Vogt observed. “It happens all the time. But we’re going to continue working on defense.”